Tag: Scene

“Last night I was tortured, afflicted, distressed, and tormented because I was made to do bad things and I could not stop myself, enslaved to do evil!” ~ Jon Barnes

Yesterday

I was going to jail after being in a car with some fools, in which one of them, I had to shoot! The officer stepped into the car and the choice given to me was to not shoot him and go straight to jail for my crimes. The deal was bad from the start and I didn’t belong there or knew the participants. Was I drunk, out of my body and mind? Accept who you are? But, who am I?

Tortured

There are not the decisions I would make for my life and family but they were made for me by someone else and I had no control or choice in any of the situations. I was quickly rolling down the tallest mountain of problems, the likes I’ve never seen being both victim and criminal at the scene of all my crimes. When will my grief end and will I get a second chance? Who is torturing me with this crazy song and dance?

Morning

I woke up in mourning, this morning wondering how I was going to get out of jail, make my wrongs right, and fix my life. If only I had one more chance to write a better life plan of actions, classes, degrees, business deals, to make it all better. I would read every good book and follow the best plans to the letter. Ok, I’m ready to do this, come on, let’s Go. Then I woke up from the realistic stage play of my dream that rocked my world and pulled it apart from the seams.

Today’s Question

Did God get your attention or are you still evil in reality, full of confusion, stuck in your daily dream of a life deferred?

Enjoy the Reading

Exodus 24

Israel Accepts the Lord’s Covenant

24 Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance.2 Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”

3 Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”

4 Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.5 Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord.6 Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.

7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”

8 Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”

9 Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain.10 There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself.11 And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain. Stay there, and I will give you the tablets of stone on which I have inscribed the instructions and commands so you can teach the people.”13 So Moses and his assistant Joshua set out, and Moses climbed up the mountain of God.

14 Moses told the elders, “Stay here and wait for us until we come back. Aaron and Hur are here with you. If anyone has a dispute while I am gone, consult with them.”

15 Then Moses climbed up the mountain, and the cloud covered it.16 And the glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud.17 To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.18 Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights.